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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29321778">Dark Horse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevineMandate/pseuds/DevineMandate'>DevineMandate</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Who Killed Leda Strike? [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:07:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>373</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29321778</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevineMandate/pseuds/DevineMandate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlotte's the prime suspect, but there's someone else who might fit the bill...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Who Killed Leda Strike? [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dark Horse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is literally the only other person in the books besides Charlotte (I think) that has been around from the beginning, would shock appropriately as Leda's killer, and has anything resembling a motive.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It was you!”</p><p>Strike stared in abject horror. Not in ten thousand years would he have ever believed in a universe where this could be true. He felt the enormity of her lies; it threatened to undermine his hold on consciousness; it rocked his entire world, throwing long stretches of his life into hideous, tortured relief.</p><p>She nodded.  “It’s a relief, in a way, that you know.  I’m not looking forward to prison, but I’m resigned to it.  I’m only really upset about the boys.”</p><p>“HOW could you do this?  I know you had your differences, but killing her?  Oh GOD, how can it be true?”</p><p>“Stick,” Lucy said sadly.  “I hated her, I was <i>so</i> angry with her; it festered for years. She abandoned us whenever she felt like it. Everything about her was flighty and cheap, and you know that’s true no matter how deeply you love her.  She didn’t belong in my life.  I hated the idea of her as grandmother to my children; I hated having to explain her to my friends; I REALLY hated having to explain her to the couple of boyfriends I had before…”</p><p>“JESUS, SHUT UP! DON’T EXPLAIN IT TO ME!” screamed Strike.  “Oh no, oh God, oh no oh no oh no.  What am I supposed to say to Jack?”</p><p>Strike thought about Lucy’s pathologically straightlaced, buttoned down lifestyle.  No wonder she had wanted every appearance and feeling of normalcy.  It wasn’t only her childhood she was trying to erase.</p><p>“I don’t know, Stick.  I hope you’ll take care of him, ease his pain some.  I even hold out a little hope that you can like Adam and Luke one day.  Maybe you’ll ease up on them knowing they inherited their prickish, arsehole-ish ways from their mother and it’s not their fault they’re sons to a murderer.  Take care of Greg too, if you can.”</p><p>“HOW did I not see it?  How could I have been so blind?”</p><p>Sirens pierced the air as police vehicles approached Lucy’s beautiful, well kept home.</p><p>“Oh, Stick,” she said with a sigh.  “You didn’t see it because you didn’t want to.”  And she went out to wait for the police to arrest her, well behaved to the last.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Is there a suspect that makes any sense besides Charlotte and Lucy (who, again, I really doubt did it)?  I'm not counting Whittaker either.  I'd love to hear any thoughts.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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